BANDIDOS BARRED FROM COURT AS ENFORCER FACES WEAPONS CASE – Saturday July 13 2013

– Bikie enforcer Toby Mitchell’s associates were barred from entering court yesterday for wearing Bandidos club colours.
The Bandidos sergeant-at-arms was at Melbourne Magistrates Court to face weapons charges stemming from an 8am police raid on his Docklands home last year.
Police say they found a flick knife and a stun gun.
Taskforce Echo detectives say they also found $45,250 cash they believe were proceeds of crime.
Yesterday, the “Herald Sun” reported allegations that a real estate agent used Mitchell as a heavy to recover a $130,000 debt.
Mitchell, who has survived two attempts on his life in the past three years, was flanked by three men when he arrived at court yesterday morning.
But two of them, wearing Bandidos-patched jumpers, were barred and had to wait outside.
The other man was allowed into court and sat with Mitchell.
A security guard said later it was standard practice to bar bikies wearing patches from courts, for fear that trouble might be stirred up.
Mitchell’s court appearance was brief and he did not enter a plea to the four charges.
An earlier hearing was told the money had been returned to Mitchell after he showed it had been legitimately earned, though proceeds of crime charges are yet to be formally dropped.
Mitchell will next appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on November 14, when he is expected to argue the weapons did not belong to him.
Mitchell’s bail was continued on condition that he report to police weekly.
The “Herald Sun” yesterday reported a leading real estate agent brought Mitchell to a formal meeting of creditors after the collapse of property development firm Rivacourt Pty Ltd.
Police are investigating the incident, during which Mitchell was said to have been seen flicking through photographs of the Rivacourt’s director’s home.
The chief executive at the real estate agency’s head office said police had not contacted the company nor spoken to the agent involved.
The chief executive, who was overseas, said he would look into the creditors’ meeting further when he returned.
Consumer Affairs Victoria, the state body that regulates real estate agents, said it could not comment on individual cases, but that real estate agents must not engage in unprofessional conduct.
Spokesman Mario Xuereb said licences of estate agents who breached conduct regulations could be cancelled by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal – James Dowling

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